✓ | 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝑾𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑻𝒐 𝑹𝒖𝒍𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 (R.STARK 2/3)

Chapter Twenty::Double The Trouble

A/N: Would just like to apologise for the little writing I have done this week, as I said before I've been in London (it was amazing btw) but I do hope to be writing continuously despite school. For any of you interested in my other work, I am in the process of writing a Richard Madden fanfic right now which should be out soon, so keep an eye out for it - let me know if you are at all interested to, and I might be able to tell you a bit about it. Ok, hope you enjoy this chapter :)

It was damp at first, slippery in her cold hand, but then the feeling changed to something softer, gentle against Raina's skin and familiar to the touch. Fur. It was like silk or satin to Raina, the most beautiful and comforting of all pelts that she could've imagined. She found it hard to believe that Direwolves, animals capable of killing a man in seconds, are so soft and gentle at the same time - to those they like anyway, Raina wouldn't doubt for a second that Greywind would rip Ramsay's head from his shoulders given half the chance, and deep down she'd love to see that. Beneath her hand though, was not Greywind, she'd hoped it would've been, and could've been certain moments ago that it was him stalking the woods, but what Raina felt beneath her finger tips was not the fur of any Direwolf she had held before.Which didn't narrow it down by a great deal - the only one she could be sure it wasn't was Lady, only because she knew that Sansa's Direwolf was killed many years ago.

The body in Raina's grasp vibrated, every inch of their torso resonating with the fierce growl that escaped the wolf's mouth - be it directed at Raina or something else she couldn't be sure, but she distinctly recognised a Direwolf's growl when she heard one. She went to move her hand, just in case the Direwolf was uncomfortable in her presence, yet when she went to do so, the wolf whimpered and moved itself back to where her hand would make contact with its fur. Whichever Direwolf it was, it had no trouble making friends, that was for sure. Then came another growl, not from the Direwolf at Raina's side, but from the second - also in question. It cried out through the darkness from somewhere beyond the trees that were just visible from where Raina stood, it's low throaty howl sounded familiar in an odd way. Raina wanted to believe she'd heard it before, but some realistic aspect of her mind kept putting that hope aside; she wasn't sure how any of this was realistic - she'd heard a wolf howl at the moon and without a doubt knew it was Direwolves belonging to the Starks, or what remained of them, and now here she stood, out in the cold night, with a potentially dangerous animal resting against her palm. She almost thought it was a dream, she didn't want it to be but that same realistic persistence in her mind continued to conflict her hopes with reality. If this was a dream, it would've been Greywind next to her, not a different Direwolf who's name she could not correctly identify, it would've be Robb and his Direwolf, taking her hand, and guiding her back to Winterfell where they lived together, happily, for the rest of their days. If this was a dream, she wouldn't have woken up in Robb's bed without him.

The Direwolf bolted. Away from Raina's grasp, away from the small space around her that she could see clearly, and away into the darkness. Even with the alluring ebony cloud that fogged the surrounding area, Raina still followed. What in her made her decide that was a good idea she didn't know, but she couldn't stop it; she walked after the Direwolf quickly, padding across the forest floor and feeling the mud tremble beneath her boots. She could hear the wolfs panting in the distance, up ahead, but wherever the animal was, it was not in view. Still quite dazed as to which direwolves it was that she followed, Raina looked desperately into the distance to try and catch light of the grey pelt she'd hoped to have seen by now. There was still a burning desire for her present company to be one she had already become accustomed to, a prayer that Greywind had survived the mess of The Twins and had made his way home to any sort of familiar person he might find. But then, in the darkness and distance, there was nothing Raina could be sure of about this direwolf - only that there was a second one further ahead. She consistently thought back to the prospect of Summer and Shaggy having been wandering about without their owners, looking for anyone that might be familiar to them, but then, Raina hoped more that it was Robb's direwolf than anyone else's. 

When Raina finally came to a panting halt, she could make out the shape of the large beast up ahead, sat down by another shadowed figure that lay beside it. 2 direwolves. She could hear the faint murmur of their fading growls, now louder and more prominent than before, and could see the faint light of white fur up ahead. The moon, in this part of the vast woodland, sifted light through the sparsely populated canopy of leaves, and scattered distant suggestions of silver rays down unto the ground on which Raina stood. The glimmering shadow of the moon's incandescence fell upon the beast closest to the Glover girl, clearly burnishing the ivory coat of the animal at hand, who's head crooked in her direction in an expecting manner, and in one that radiated familiarity. Stood ahead for her, with it's head lurring to the side, was a beast that hinted to the same features as Greywind, and was clearly a sibling of that specific Direwolf. It was overwhelmingly comforting to see such familiar characteristics, even if they did not belong to the direwolf Raina had anticipated seeing this night, it was better than being greeted by nothing more than a shadow, or worse a beast that was not at all one of the Stark house. 

The direwolf, in the faint shimmer of moonlight, lurched forward carefully, padding closer to Raina and lending her head into the Glover's hand in a way you'd expect from a pet, or domestic animal. In such light, the direwolf's traits appeared more feminine, perhaps it was the luminescence of the night that gave such an image to the beast in question, but there was something odd about it's countenance that gave the illusion of it's gender being more similar to Raina's. It stood with Raina for a lingering moment, it's fur tingling beneath her fingertips as the wolf gently nuzzled itself against Raina's hand in a loving manner. Raina was enthralled by the wolf's behaviour, however her gaze slipped momentarily towards the second figure, lurking beyond the grasp of fluorescent, trying hard to depict what the beast looked like through the obscurity of night. She could hear soft whimpering emerging from behind the shroud of night, and the distant slate fur of the direwolf's paw dangling within the reach of the silver rays of the moon, and glimmering slightly beneath the touch of light, but whichever direwolf it was, Raina could still not tell. After another moment of cuddling her palm closer to the wolf beside her, Raina moved closer to the wolf lying on the dark ground nearby. She could hear it's faint purring rising from the ground on which it lay, but could see no more than it's silhouette. 

That was before it moved. 

The beast arose to it's feet, unsteady and wobbling in places, but it walked forward, into the light, nonetheless. It's grey coat shimmered to life, it's bright blue eyes flashing with silver beneath the glittering ray of the moon's essence that fell unto them, and it's large form stretching to correct size as it came to it's full height. Stood before her, in all his wounded glory, was the direwolf Raina had been aching to see. Stood before her, was Greywind. Bloodied and bruised from the Frey's men, but alive none the same.